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Thursday, October 11, 2012

This week we were lucky enough to lead more 2nd graders around the lake at Paris Mountain State Park. I just love hiking with these young students because they make me appreciate my world so much more! These students came from Buena Vista Elementary and were very well behaved.

They seemed excited about being outdoors even though it was pretty cold outside for the first time this season (50F). One boy didn’t have a jacket and the bus driver was kind enough to give that boy his jacket until the ranger gave him an extra jacket they had in the office. What a kind man! I’m not sure the children felt the cold as much as the adults did. There were also many parent chaperones that were with the group and they seemed excited to be there too.

I felt bad that we didn’t see a lot of wildlife but I guess the temperatures were cold enough for the animals to want to stay warm out of sight. As we hiked, I was able to share information about the life cycles of dragonflies, frogs, butterflies, birds, bats, and owls. We also saw some flowers such as purple asters and Heart’s a Bustin. I also showed them how to tell the difference between mountain laurel and rhododendron. The students were very attentive and I think enjoyed the program.

It is experiences like this that make me glad to volunteer in the park. Spending a day with these students made me look forward to doing this again in the future.